BMW - Easy to work on?

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Bill G - 02 Mar 2005 10:41 GMT

Hey again,

Thinking of getting a 330ix, or possibly a 530 (wish it came in xi form),
and was wondering how difficult it is to do your own repairs on a BMW. I
have a Nissan Maxima that I do all the major work on. I've done the whole
water pump/timing belt replacement twice (including cam shaft seal
replacements once), and also replaced my injectors, plus the obvious basics
(brakes, rotors, etc.). I have a Haynes and a Chilton's manual that guide
me, and would purchase whatever I need for this car (factory manual even).

What kind of repairs can I expect to face down the road? What is BMW
notorious for on the repairs? The Maximas are guaranteed to have bad window
regulator units and a failed Bose stereo eventually. Plus that damn dim
clock problem. But, the engine will run forever.

Tell me your successes and horror stories. It probably won't stop me from
buying a BMW. I miss German engineering too much to be deterred (had an
Audi and a Porsche in the past, and I miss them).

Thanks,

Bill G

P.S. Any owners of the 325xi/330xi, tell me how you like your car after
having it for a while. The smaller back seat doesn't bother me on a test
drive, but I'm not the one sitting back there! I'm partial to the 330xi
since I live in snow country, and this will be a year-round car.

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sapereaude@earthlink.net - 02 Mar 2005 15:57 GMT

Bill,

I too went from Nissans to BMW and still have both. The routine
maintenance is generally very easy. For example, all of the cars
mentioned above have their oil filters right up top, so oil changes are
a snap. The only normally routine thing that you don't want to do at
home is the auto trans fluid change, because there's no dipstick and
you really should use the special dealer equipment to get the fluid
levels rights. Visit the forums at www.roadfly.com for details on the
common problems with the 3 series (E46 generation is what you want) and
the 5 series (E39 generation).

Generally these are fun cars, and not too bad for a DIY-minded person.
Just don't expect Nissan reliability, especially on the electronic
gadgets.

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M C - 02 Mar 2005 21:36 GMT

You can probably expect regulators to break down on the E46 too!.

I have a UK spec 2000 year and I've had both front regulators done at the
main dealer. Rip off prices for something that seems more like a design
flaw. Last one cost ?180 fitted and it still doesn't sound right. Also
expect to change your brake rotors quite often.

MC

> Hey again,
>
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> drive, but I'm not the one sitting back there! I'm partial to the 330xi
> since I live in snow country, and this will be a year-round car.

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